


The Five Love Languages

by orgaziam



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Lawyer Liam, Lovey-Dovey, M/M, Maybe angst if you squint lol, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut, Teacher Zayn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-08-19 03:59:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16526894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orgaziam/pseuds/orgaziam
Summary: There's five ways to give and receive love: through physical touch, gifts, quality time, acts of service, and words of affirmation. Zayn experiences them all with Liam.





	1. PHYSICAL TOUCH

**Author's Note:**

> I am extremely fascinated by the five love languages: physical touch, gifts, quality time, acts of service, and words of affirmation. As a result, I've had the idea of writing this fic for a while, and while I did have this (and some other parts I haven't yet shared with you all) written, I do want to clarify a few things. My goal with this fic isn't to create a complex story line, but to rather challenge myself with writing the different aspects of love and to challenge you all, the readers, to think more about the different ways to give and receive love and how they may affect your own relationship interactions. I want to use this fic as more of an opportunity to grow more comfortable with writing about different interactions, but to also have it be enjoyable to read and to share it with you all. I'm really interested to know what you all think of this and which love language you all closely identify with, as well. Each chapter will be focused around a different love language within the same verse, but different scenarios/days within that verse.

Physical Touch: this love language involves giving and receiving love in the form of intimate touches, grazing hands, and warm embraces. Sometimes the best way to show affection isn't through words or material objects, but simply through a gentle kiss or reassuring touch.

 

i.

 

Don't tell Liam, but--

Zayn's favorite time of the day is the morning.

Well, it's not necessarily the fact that it's the _morning_ that does it for him. In fact, he's not really fond of anything that involves being out of bed before noon on his days off, but still. Mornings. 

He loves them.

Because mornings are when he wakes up to Liam's arms wrapped tightly around his waist or pressing him firmly into the mattress, or Liam's warm chest pressed against his back. Mornings are when Liam makes sure one of the dogs can cuddle with a sleepy Zayn until he comes back from his morning run, showers, then joins Zayn himself in bed until the latter is finally ready to be roused from his sleep. Mornings are when Liam will work on his cases or read a book to keep himself busy, all while carding a gentle hand through Zayn's hair, with Loki or Rhino perched at their feet.

Mornings are when Zayn is supposed to wake up to his alarm clock on his nightstand, but instead wakes up to Liam coaxing him awake with gentle nudges and whispers of, "Hey love, it's time to get up. I let you sleep five minutes past your alarm but you'll be late if you don't get up now." Mornings are when Zayn wakes up to the smell of a full breakfast and lazy kisses on the kitchen counter before work. Mornings are when Zayn sips his coffee and watches his dogs bask in the sun's rays as they run around their small yard, his legs pressed to Liam's as they sit in the grass and laugh at their antics.

Mornings are always the best start to his day, because he spends it in the embrace of the person he loves more than anything. He always knows he'll have a great day when it starts with a gentle nudge or soft kiss from his boyfriend.

And maybe it's not so much the mornings he loves, but rather Liam's touches in the mornings.

 

Yeah. That sounds about right.

 

 

 

 

ii.

 

Liam has amazing hands.

This is in no way a new discovery for Zayn, but it is definitely something he feels the need to point out.

Because they really, truly are incredible.

There's no feeling as nice as the steadiness of Liam's hand gripping his own, nothing that makes Zayn feel as content as a warm embrace from his boyfriend, the way Liam's hands press firmly into the small of his back to mold their two bodies together as tight as they can fit. There's nothing as calming as the graze of Liam's thumb over the back of Zayn's hands when they're meeting new people, or watching a horror movie within the comfort of their own home. He loves when those fingers run through his long strands of hair when they're cuddling, loves the way they graze over his cheekbones whenever one of them leans over for a kiss.

And there's almost nothing better than the way those same hands wrap tightly around his member when they're intimate late at nights, the way they gently caress Zayn's hip bones or thighs, the way they press over his lips when they're visiting their families and need to stay quiet. Nothing compares to the way they maneuver him around like he weighs nothing, pressing him into the mattress or holding him firmly against a door or wall. Nothing compares to the way those fingers feel inside of him, digits pressing firmly into him until he's chanting the names of their owner.

But there's also nothing like the way Liam will use those same hands to brush away Zayn's tears when he's crying or frustrated after a long week, nothing like the way those hands will pull him into a warm embrace until Zayn feels like he can stop thinking and can just breathe for a moment, nothing like the way Liam's hands encompass his skin with feelings of warmth and protection.

He squeezes his fingers tightly around the warm flesh encompassing his hands, bringing Liam's hand up to his lips to peck gently. Liam laughs softly at the ticklish gesture, voice ringing from happiness as he squeezes Zayn's hands in his own.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your hands?" Zayn asks him, resting his head back onto Liam's shoulder as they pretend to be interested in some health documentary Harry's making them all watch.

Liam pretends to think for a moment, "Only every other day," he says, squeezing Zayn's hand in his own again before he pecks Zayn's forehead and turns his attention back to the movie.

Zayn's ready to mention that that's still not often enough for him to declare his love for Liam's hands, when Harry shushes the two of them from the opposite couch that he, Louis and Niall are sharing, motioning for them to shut up.

Zayn's ready to retaliate when a pillow comes flying toward him and Liam, likely from Louis by the way the aim was actually accurate, and he rolls his eyes but relents, finally shutting up.

He'll save his declarations of love for Liam's hands for later.

 

Until then,

"Have I ever told you how much I love your eyes?"

"Zayn!"

 

 

 

 

iii.

 

Zayn practically throws himself onto the couch the second he gets home, surpassing his attention-needy dogs in favor of being enveloped by the comfort of the soft, worn out plush of the living room sofa. It's his third night that week having to stay late thanks to his lazy, hard-headed, motherfucking (okay, that's enough Zayn) boss, and his fingers are itching for the familiar ease of his long-forgotten cigarettes. He hasn't smoked in what is two weeks but feels like years amidst all of the stress he's dealt with lately, having promised Liam he would finally give up the damned things.

But maybe Liam would understand if he had just one?

No? Maybe? Possibly?

"Zayn?"

Liam's voice startles him out of his mindless mumbling into the fabric of the couch, reminding him that since Zayn was at work longer than usual today, Liam got home before he did. Despite his aching back, he turns himself onto his side so that he can greet his boyfriend properly.

Liam, quickly able to sense Zayn's discomfort, comes over to join his boyfriend on the couch, sitting on the very edge as he presses a light hand to Zayn's shoulder, "You okay, love?" he asks hesitantly, curious to know what's bothering the boy, but aware that Zayn rarely ever tells him when he's in pain. 

It's not that Zayn feels a particular need to keep things from Liam, he's just used to keeping things bottled in rather than expressing them directly. It was his only way of coping with the racially insensitive comments he dealt with in high school, long before he had the supportive friend group he does now, and those coping mechanisms have followed him into adulthood more than he would have liked for them to. He tries his best to be open with Liam about things, but it's hard for him to do after years of bottling everything in.

"Just really tired, and my back hurts a little," Zayn mumbles, not wanting Liam to be too concerned over him. Zayn can admit that he has a tendency to be a little overdramatic when he's slightly inconvenienced, and Liam can be really overbearing when he even so much as suspects Zayn isn't feeling too well, and Zayn doesn't need Liam to coddle him when all that's wrong is his back hurting.  
Except, he kinda sorta maybe _does like it_ when Liam coddles him. He just doesn't plan on admitting that any time soon.

"Do you want me to give you a massage? You know how good I can be with my hands," Liam offers, tacking on the last sentence mostly as a joke, but the idea of a massage sounds way too good to pass up right now and Zayn half-groans, half-nods into the couch at the idea of Liam's deft fingertips digging into the knots in his back, helping him relax.

"Please," he mutters, looking up at Liam with his signature pout. He usually saves his pouts for emergencies, and though he knows Liam wouldn't turn him down when he's feeling so poorly, he's desperate for some relief to the aching pain he's felt in his back all day.  
"Yeah love, budge over a little," Liam says, maneuvering him slightly so that he can comfortably straddle the backs of Zayn's thighs on their quaint sofa. There's barely room for the two of them the way they're positioned, but Liam disregards the slight discomfort in favor of tending to Zayn's aching back, eager to rid his boyfriend of any pain.

Liam starts by untucking Zayn's work shirt from his pants to reveal the expanse of his boyfriend's back, warm hands pressing against the curve of Zayn's back. He presses around the skin, asking Zayn to let him know where it hurts most, which Zayn does by letting out small grunts or wincing when Liam's fingers graze over a particular area. After a minute, Liam begins massaging the skin, careful not to be too rough. Zayn bites his lip to keep from being too loud, but small grunts escape his lips anyway as Liam's fingers knead his back gently yet firmly.

By the time Liam's fingers start to ache from kneading the different knots in Zayn's back, Zayn feels relaxed enough to fall asleep, practically melting into the sofa even with Liam's heavy weight on his thighs. He quietly asks Liam to stop, before he's carefully turning around until he's facing the ceiling, careful not to knock Liam off of him in the process. Liam helps him adjust his shirt, before moving his own legs so that he's no longer straddling Zayn's thighs but instead laying between them. He places a brief kiss to Zayn's lips and then his jaw, who sighs in content before thanking Liam.

"You don't know how much I needed that today, thank you," he says, eyes like pools of honey as he looks at Liam with lidded eyes. He doesn't miss the way Liam's eyes sharpen slightly at his words, the way they always do when Liam's worried about him. 

"Did something else happen today? That you didn't mention?" Liam asks him, caressing Zayn's cheek with his thumb.

"No, no, nothing other than my boss making me stay late again," Zayn sighs softly. Liam peppers his face with kisses, likely to try and make up for the rough day Zayn has had up until this point.

"You'd tell me if something did happen though, yeah?" Liam asks, and Zayn has to stop himself from actually purring when his fingers tug softly at the strands at the nape of his neck, making chills run down his spine. He melts further into the space between Liam and the couch, eyelashes fanning over his cheekbones as he nods in response.

"Of course," he answers, leaning up to press his own kiss to Liam's lips.

They stay like that for the rest of the day, just content in each other's arms on the sofa, until Liam finally manages to coax Zayn into the kitchen and force him to eat some leftover dinner from the night before. His hands never leave Zayn's skin until they're both safely tucked back into their king sized bed at the end of the night, Loki and Rhino perched quietly at the end of the bed. It's not long before the two of them fall asleep within each other's warm embrace, their entwined hands resting atop Liam's chest while Zayn is half-sprawled over his boyfriend, their legs tangled within their bed sheet.


	2. Acts of Service

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry that this took a bit to get up for you all. I've also been working on finishing ABE and my finals are coming up soon. Hopefully the next chapter will be up in a week.

Acts of Service: this love language involves simple acts that can be done to make another person's life easier. This can range from making someone a coffee if they've complained of being tired, to offering to do an errand or chore for someone if they're too busy or stressed to do so themselves. Sometimes the best way to show love is through those small gestures we all appreciate.

 

i.

They met during their second year of university.

And as with all unfortunate things in Zayn's life, it all started with Louis Tomlinson.

After a long week of his roommate complaining about exams and missing home, Zayn was kind enough to offer up his car for Louis to make the three hour commute to see his family that weekend. Louis had thanked him profusely, and Zayn had an entire weekend with their shared dorm all to himself. Louis got to de-stress with his family, and Zayn got a break from Louis' obnoxious antics. It was a win-win situation.

At least until Louis ended up crashing Zayn's car on the way back from Doncaster.

Oh, and didn't tell Zayn about it.

The damage was very minimal, and considering Zayn's car was already old and a little battered up, Zayn wouldn't have even been able to tell.

That is until the following weekend, when Zayn was planning on visiting his own family in Bradford, and Louis failed to inform him that his car had broken down and crashed on the way back from Doncaster, and had barely made the trip back to the dorms. His car battery had barely lasted Zayn all of two hours, and he was pulled over to the side of the road waiting to get some sort of cell signal to call for a tow truck.

He would never admit it to Louis, but if it weren't for his annoying friend's stupidity, he wouldn't have met the love of his life.

Because, out of all of the cars passing by, none but one decided to pull over and assist Zayn in the unbearable English weather. And if it weren't for the warm brown eyes and timid smile offering Zayn help with a spare tire, he likely wouldn't have made it home in time to see his family before midnight.

It was completely by chance, that, despite the two both being hours from their departing locations, they both attended the same university in Leeds.

Knowing this, Zayn didn't hesitate to offer Liam a lunch date in return for his kind gesture that night, eager to see the handsome man with the warm brown eyes again.

And if anyone asked, the smile that refused to leave Zayn's lips all week was purely just from seeing his family that weekend, and not from the memory of the brown-eyed boy who wrote down his number and eagerly agreed to a lunch date with Zayn.

And as much as he hates to admit, he has no one to thank but Louis Tomlinson for the turn of events.

("And don't you forget it" -Louis)

 

 

ii. 

 

There's nothing Zayn hates more than being sick.

Because being sick means having to wake up next to his lovely boyfriend every morning and not being able to wake him up with a kiss. It means having to down his breakfast with the disgusting taste of cough syrup, and it also means having to eat Liam's amazing cooking without actually being able to enjoy the taste because of his stuffy sinuses.

It also means going to work feeling like shit, and he swears his students get fifty times more intolerable when he's accompanied by a pounding headache and a box of tissues, all because his boss refuses to give him the day off.

Which is why he cherishes his weekend days even more when he's sick and _finally_ able to sleep in past noon and avoid anyone other than his cuddly dogs and even cuddlier boyfriend.

He's almost surprised when he wakes up alone, though, Liam's side of the bed still smelling faintly of citrus and musk. He peaks at the end of the bed and finds Rhino and Loki nowhere in sight, either.

Groaning in annoyance at the lack of cuddles he's receiving, Zayn finally gets out of bed, throwing on a large sweatshirt he doesn't know the original owner of with how often it's been passed back and forth between the two, and heading in the direction of the living area where he hears some faint noise.

"What is this?" Zayn asks, worried his stuffy nose is deceiving him as he walks into their flat's small kitchen. The smell of warm spices and pine filling his senses ease his aching muscles in a way they only do when he's back in his childhood home, consuming his mother's warm curry and being coddled by his sisters and aunts.

His stomach isn't disappointed at all to find Liam already cooking breakfast (or lunch, he supposes, considering the time), though he half expected to be surprised with his mother hovering over the stove considering the scent that's consuming his senses.

"I made you some food to help with your cold, I was just about to bring it to you, love," Liam says, face lighting up at the sight of a sleep-roused Zayn hovering near the doorway to the kitchen. He crosses the short distance between them to greet Zayn with a quick peck on the cheek, mindful of the other boy's cold. "You feeling any better?" he asks, though it's no use since Zayn ignores the question, instead peering curiously at the pot Liam just abandoned. 

"Liam? Is that my mom's curry?" Zayn asks. He tries his best to peek around Liam to see the contents of the pot over the stove, the reddish-brown color confirming his theory.

Liam's cheek tinge a bright shade of pink at the accusation, "I may or may not have called her and asked her for her recipe after you wouldn't stop talking about it at Thanksgiving," he says sheepishly. Zayn just looks at him incredulously, making Liam hesitate before continuing, "It's probably not as good as hers, but I did my best to try and find all of the spices this morning at the market, and she didn't actually tell me any measurements, so I tried my best to replicate it--"

"--Liam--"

"--But if you don't like it, I mean, that's okay, too--"

"--Liam!"

"Yes?"

"I love it, thank you," Zayn says, wanting desperately to thank his boyfriend with a kiss for the sweet gesture, but also careful not to get the other man sick and settling for a short hug instead, "I'm sure it'll taste great, but I'm just grateful you even went out of your way to do this for me," he takes another look at the steaming pot on the stove, "Is it ready? Can I have it now?" he asks impatiently. He's usually not hungry in the mornings, but considering it's been almost a full day since he's last eaten considering how much he's slept, he's not surprised when his stomach growls loud enough for Liam to hear.

Liam laughs, posture relaxing slightly now that he knows Zayn isn't opposed to the thought of him recreating his mother's beloved curry recipe. "Just a bit longer, I have to wait for the biryani to finish, too," he says, a slight smirk on his face when he sees Zayn's eyes widen comically.

"You made biryani, too?" Zayn says, eagerly trying to move past Liam's blockade and toward the stove, but he's stopped promptly when Liam reaches an arm out to pull him back.

"Nuh uh, you go wait in the living room. I'll bring it out there when it's ready and we'll watch a movie," he places a gentle kiss to Zayn's forehead, sending the boy off to the living room where the dogs are, heart aching at his boyfriend being sick for almost a full week now. He knows he's too soft on Zayn sometimes, but he can't help it. He just wants his boyfriend to be happy and healthy, and seeing him be sick for a full week and not being able to do much to help besides making him a bowl of soup or cup of coffee in the morning has been difficult. Calling Trisha that morning was definitely well worth it if it meant seeing Zayn's face light up even a little bit at the idea of having something that reminded the boy of home.

He checks back on the food he's making, and no less than twenty minutes later, he's joining Zayn and the dogs on the couch in the living room, two plates of food in his hands as the two begin to bicker about what movie to watch while they eat. Liam knows full well he's going to cave into whatever it is Zayn wants to watch (which always ends up being a movie he enjoys, anyway), but he entertains the argument a little longer as he settles comfortably into Zayn's side and pulls Rhino onto his lap. He hopes the argument is enough to distract Zayn from him sliding the dogs a few bites of the food on his plate.

 

(He loves Trisha's food, but goddamn is her food way too spicy for Liam's taste buds).

 

iii.

 

Liam's been ruffling through stacks and stacks of papers for the past ten hours, trying to figure out this stupid case so he can head home and finally get some rest. It's rare he deals with a case that manages to be this time consuming, especially because he usually gets multiple to work on in a day. But this one involves the child of a low-income family, and when there's children involved, there's always a lot more precautions that need to be taken into account.

 

That, paired with the fact that Liam's boss has found nothing but minimal, time-consuming tasks for Liam to do all afternoon (which Liam's 2654% sure they have interns who could have easily done what he had wanted if asked), have left Liam way too close to his deadlines with barely anything done. It doesn't help that every two seconds when he glances at his clock, it fast forwards an hour, and before he knows it, the sun is setting and the natural light that usually fills up his open office space is dimming, telling Liam his boyfriend was probably expecting him home hours ago.

Too lazy to get up and turn on all of the lights in the room, he turns on his desk lamp and continues reading through his files. He's finally starting to wrap things up with his report when he remembers he should probably send Zayn a text with an estimate of when he'll be home, but as he reaches for his phone to shoot his boyfriend a quick text, he hears a faint knock on his office door.

Slowly putting his phone down, he tries to think of anyone who may still be at the office, but he's sure they've all left by now. Regardless, he shouts back a "Come in!" and waits for the door to swing open and reveal the intruder.

The last person he expects to see on the other side of the doorway is his very own boyfriend. He stands there timidly, a Styrofoam coffee cup in hand as he hesitates before walking inside the dimly lit room. Surprised, Liam takes off his glasses (he swears he had perfect vision until his job forced him to squint at tiny prints all day) and beckons Zayn to come further into the room. The raven haired boy smiles and shuts the door behind him, coming around Liam's desk to hover over Liam's side next to his chair.

"What are you doing here?" Liam asks, genuinely curious but also slightly shocked at his boyfriend's presence.

"I figured it would be another long day for you when you didn't come home at three," Zayn says, to which Liam starts apologizing for until Zayn cuts him off with a pointed look. His eyes soften, however, and he looks at Liam knowingly, "So I figured I'd bring you something to make it a little bit more bearable for you."

He presents Liam with the cup of coffee he made just before he left their apartment, with two cubes of sugar and a bit of milk, just as he likes it. Zayn places the cup on Liam's desk, careful to keep it away from the files that he's sure are important and confidential, all while Liam looks on with a mixture of surprise and fondness, his heart swelling at the sweet gesture. "You really drove all the way out here just to bring me a coffee? Love, come here," he says, pulling Zayn in by the waist and standing up until they're face to face. He thanks him with a long, soft kiss, their lips molding together as he feels some of the tension leave his shoulders at just having Zayn in his arms.

"I'm so sorry I didn't text you earlier to tell you I wouldn't be home," Liam says, barely pulling away from Zayn's soft, inviting lips to whisper the words. Zayn shakes his head as he looks at Liam softly.

"It's okay, really, I figured you would be staying late again with how stressed you are," he kisses Liam again, wrapping his arms tightly around Liam's middle. "I wish there was more I could do to help with your workload, though. I know things haven't been easy for you lately," he says regretfully.

Liam places a kiss to Zayn's forehead, wanting nothing more than to crack open his own ribcage and hide Zayn inside, protecting him from the cruel world around them, "I was just about to finish wrapping up, anyway. And tomorrow my caseload is small so I'm all yours for the afternoon," he tells Zayn, who smiles at him warmly, amber eyes shining with nothing but love and comfort that always manages to make Liam feel lucky to call him his own.

 

"I'm holding you to that," Zayn tells him, pecking Liam's lips once more before he steps back to allow Liam to finish his work, responding to a couple emails on his phone while he waits for Liam to write the last of his report.

 

And despite the stressful day he's had, Liam leaves his office with a warm cup of coffee in his hand and his handsome boyfriend in tow, feeling more relaxed and appreciated than he has all day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and kudos are very much appreciated! If there is anything you guys would like to see, please let me know. I would happy to incorporate it into this fic or even make a one shot out of it. I've been very inspired to write lately and have a bit of free time before final exams hit.  
> (Also this was unedited so please help ya girl out if you see some mistakes)

**Author's Note:**

> As always, all kudos and comments are well appreciated.


End file.
